Hello all,
First of all let me say I'm glad I've found this site as it has helped open my eyes to the fact that I am not alone in this. I have been browsing and reading your stories for about 3 weeks now, and it has inspired me to finally join and share my journey also.
I'm a 28 year old male, living in the Washington, DC suburbs (Maryland) and I've been a heavy binge drinker since about age 18. I've never considered myself a alcoholic or as having any troubles with alcohol in my early days, however lately I have been over the cliff deep in trouble with alcohol.
It all started as innocent high school fun, then college partying, then going out every weekend partying, to a hard habit that I didn't notice that I NEEDED alcohol every weekend. I was masking many emotions and problems that I had and lying to myself about it. I was using alcohol to numb the pain and forget who I was. I felt like I had it all under control though from the ages 18 to about 26, then it just got worse. I started drinking more heavily and that did not turn out well. I started blacking out, crashing cars, getting into fights, getting arrested, getting a lot of driving tickets, and 2 DUI's. Not good.
My health also was taking a huge hit and I began to notice after my annual physical this year. My blood pressure was high, my liver tests were coming back abnormal, my sleep patterns weren't sufficient, brain fog, depression, anxiety, etc etc etc. Not good, again. My relationships and friendships I began to notice were all centered around alcohol which I noticed wasn't healthy AT ALL, because I knew I didn't relate to these people when sober, and the only thing we had in common was drinking.
All of the above and more which I may have not mentioned is why I decided to give up alcohol and reclaim my life. I have been sober for 60 days now and I feel better than ever. There are always great pressures around me which I am trying very hard to avoid relapsing but I remain strong and focused on my goal of complete sobriety. I do not ever want to consume alcohol again. I finally decided to join because I feel you all will be a great support system for me in my journey and through hard times when I just need reassurance that I am on the right path.
With that being said, Hello all!
(P.S. sorry for any grammar mistakes
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